An Oath Keepers member bragged about organizing an 'alliance' with other far-right groups ahead of the Capitol riot, court filings say

• An Oath Keepers member said he organized an "alliance" with the Proud Boys and Three Percenters.
• The messages, obtained by prosecutors, were sent ahead of the January 6 Capitol riot.
• Members of all three far-right groups face charges in relation to the riot.

A member of the Oath Keepers militia said he "organized an alliance" with members of the Proud Boys and Three Percenters ahead of the Capitol riot on January 6, according to messages included in court filings.

The Oath Keepers member, Kelly Meggs, wrote that the right-wing extremist groups made plans to "work together."

"This week I organized an alliance between Oath Keepers, Florida 3%ers, and Proud Boys. We have decided to work together and shut this shit down," Meggs wrote in Facebook messages on December 19, according to the filing.

The message was included in a filing from federal prosecutors arguing that a judge should keep Meggs in jail ahead of a criminal trial. Prosecutors charged Meggs, alongside several other members of the Oath Keepers, in relation to the insurrection at Washington, DC on January 6. Prosecutors describe him as a "team leader" of the group. His wife, Connie Meggs, has also been charged and has recently argued that her court hearings should be delayed because her wedding ring is stuck.

In previous filings, prosecutors have detailed the Oath Keepers' efforts in planning their actions at the Capitol. Members of the group held training sessions, carried military-style equipment, kept a "quick reaction force" nearby to supply guns, threatened to murder lawmakers, and looked at then-President Donald Trump for direction, court filings show.

The new filing sheds more light on the extent to which Kelly Meggs was involved in the planning, and how he expected Trump to support their efforts. He said the Oath Keepers were "called" to Washington on that day.

"Trumps staying in, he's Gonna use the emergency broadcast system on cell phones to broadcast to the American people. Then he will claim the insurrection act [sic]," Meggs wrote in a Facebook message obtained by prosecutors.

Members of the Proud Boys and the Three Percenters have also been charged in relation to the riot. Prosecutors brought conspiracy charges against the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys, in addition to other charges.

The Justice Department is considering whether to bring sedition charges against the Oath Keepers, the New York Times reported. Judge Amit Mehta, who is overseeing the cases against Oath Keepers members, scolded department officials over the report and threatened to issue sanctions over statements speculating about charges. A Justice Department official told Mehta that the comments given to the Times would be investigated by the department's professional conduct office.

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